Happy hour starts at noon today at Drink Up Philippines, the booze festival for the adventurous drinker.
The event, which expects 2,000 attendees, promises to round up the best bars and breweries for a 12-hour drinking party today, from noon till midnight, at The Forum, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
The event is organized by brothers Jeffrey and Gabriel Ng, and communications manager Andrea Sambar—friends who enjoy eating out and drinking. “We’d like to think of ourselves as alcohol connoisseurs,” Sambar said.
We talked to them over cocktails at Speakeasy, a bar in Makati which has a booth in Drink Up.
Tangy, fruity beer
The Ng brothers have been organizing drinking festivals in Hong Kong and thought of bringing the experience to Manila. They chose the exhibitors which will serve 150 drinks—a mix of local and imported beers, craft cocktails and wine.
“We encourage them to serve drinks in full glass and tasting proportions, so everyone can try a bit of everything,” Gabriel said.
Drink Up showcases local microbreweries such as Katipunan Craft, maker of Indio Pale Ale, a tangy, fruity beer.
Xavierbier from Baguio, and Fat Pauly’s Handcrafted Ales & Lagers from Iligan, bring their homegrown brews to Manila.
Craftpoint Brewing Company serves its bestsellers Summer Session and Liberation beer, and its new Mr. Braumeister German beer.
European beer on tap are available in Draft, while German beer can also be had in Brotzeit. Linkage Foods offers El Diablo lager and Bali Hai draft beer.
Make sure to check out other beer booths: Pivo Praha, G Point Craft Beer, Beerology, The Perfect Pint, The Distillery, Booze Online.
Jalapeño cocktail
Gabriel suggests beating the heat with cold cocktails: “People can have lunch and a drink, go home if it gets too hot, then come back for dinner and drinks.”
One refreshing cocktail is Speakeasy Standard, a mix of lychee, gin and fresh mint. Speakeasy consultant Alyona Vinogradova-Jeffrey said it’s an after-dinner drink that helps digestion. We say it’s a tricky drink that nicely hits you before you know it.
Speakeasy also serves Horse Bite, a whiskey-based drink with honey, lemon juice, Tabasco and bell pepper; and Ginger Jack, ginger ale with a shot of Jack Daniel’s.
Drop by Rocket Room’s booth for the Rocket Fuel, its signature drink with house-made jalapeño-pepper vodka, and Las Flores for its Spanish sangria.
Moonshine Bar offers Jungle Juice, a mix of watermelon, lime and gin.
More cocktails are available in Exit Bar, Rambla, Big Bad Wolf and M Café.
For unusual wine, VomFass serves Honey and Blueberry Wine, plus single-malt whisky and liqueurs. There’s also the Philippine Wine Merchants’ booth.
Food and booze pairing
Drink Up is a food and booze pairing fest as well. Las Flores serves tapas, which is good with wine. Burgers & Brewskies’ multipatty burger is best with beer.
Go to El Chupacabra for Mexican street-style tacos and steak quesadillas.
Pink Panda’s Southeast Asian specialties and Plaza Café sandwiches can be enjoyed with cocktails. Kusina Teatro’s meaty items and Mr. Delicious’ cured meat are great with full-bodied beer.
There’s Bronuts for pastries and Kool Kids for ice cream.
Not for minors
The festival will admit only those 18 years old and above. ID may be required.
Ticket holders will be given a wristband loaded with “tokens”—the currency for drinks. Tap the wristband for one token, and get a drink. The wristband is reloadable.
There are different packs available—Buzzed for P800 (four tasting tokens), Tipsy for P980 (six tokens and a raffle ticket) and Drunk Pack for P1720 (15 tokens, two raffle tickets, a free gift, access to VIP Fast Pass Line, VIP Lounge and VIP Washroom).
Organizers made sure there are enough toilets at the event. They also partnered with GrabTaxi.
“Security is tight,” Sambar said. “We prepared for the sun, the rain, and there are shaded areas with tables and chairs.”
So, drink as much as your budget and body would allow. Join drinking and eating contests. Listen to bands such as Urbandub and Pedicab. Play beer pong and “alco-hockey,” but make sure to stay cool as you drink the day away.
E-mail [email protected]; visit www.drinkupph.com or www.ticketworld.com.ph; follow @Drinkupph on Twitter and Instagram.
